Population growth, urbanisation, and climate change highlight the importance of effectively addressing vulnerability and resilience to ensure the well-being of people in urban areas. It is ideal to examine the role of the Nexus approach through the lens of the vulnerability framework to understand how it can be utilized as a strategic tool to reduce exposure and sensitivity, and enhance adaptive capacity.

The social, cultural, economic, and political environment in which resilience strategies are developed varies greatly. In many European and North American cities, stronger institutional capacities and established planning mechanisms support more systematic efforts to build resilience. In contrast, in rapidly growing cities in low- and middle-income countries, infrastructure gaps, socio-economic inequalities, and limited resources are not uncommon. Factors such as administrative capacity and inequality have a direct impact on the vulnerability and adaptive capacity of urban populations, affecting the design and feasibility of resilience strategies.

This study not only focused on a single geographical location but also conducted a systematic literature review encompassing cities worldwide. In US cities, as well as European cities such as Milan, Salento, and Thessaloniki, there is evidence of a mature development of resilience framework assessments. In contrast, coastal cities in the US show significant progress in this type of research. In regions primarily located in Africa, Asia, and South America, urbanization problems are more pronounced. Nevertheless, these areas are underrepresented in the literature in terms of research and implementation of prevention and adaptation strategies.

In a second step, during a Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM), I focus on the performance of an integrated nexus framework that encompasses climate, soil, and infrastructure. Based on a systematic literature review of 160 articles, this research aims to enhance the understanding of how the interdependence of nexus resources impacts urban resilience. Several vulnerability and resilience frameworks have been identified that form the basis of this work, including the Social-Ecological Technological Systems (SETS), the IPCC Vulnerability Conceptual Model, and Urban Flood Vulnerability models.

These frameworks offer perspectives on different aspects of resilience and provide indicators related to climate, soil, and infrastructure.

To address challenges such as the lack of standardisation, which limits comparison, and the overwhelming amount of research on flooding, the STSM applied the PRISMA process to synthesise frameworks and scientific analysis systematically, and proposed a set of indicators for climate resilience, land use, and infrastructure performance. The mission emphasised the need to integrate real-time data, scenario analysis, and a participatory approach with tailored analyses for urban contexts. By combining these elements, the work laid the foundation for a strategic concept to improve disaster risk reduction and resource management in cities.

To summarize, this STSM represents an important first step towards developing a nexus-based framework that comprehensively and adaptively supports urban resilience. Although the research to date has provided valuable insights, particularly in the area of flood risk management and resource interdependencies, future efforts should aim to diversify case studies geographically, improve and standardise forecasting tools, and consider a wider range of extreme events than flooding. This approach will allow cities to better prepare for crises and promote sustainable growth in the face of increasing climate challenges and rapid urbanisation.